1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure is generally directed to food storage containers, and more particularly to a storage container that includes a container base, a vented lid, and a perforate produce tray and a container system having a plurality of the containers with connecting structures configured to connect the lids, trays, and bases together for organized storage.
2. Description of Related Art
It is known in the art of food storage containers that produce lasts longer when stored in containers that are not completely sealed but instead vented to the surrounding atmosphere. Produced needs to breathe and, thus, providing air flow to produce inside of a container extends the period before microorganisms can grow. This can keep the produce fresher for a longer period of time. There are products available today that attempt to address this issue. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,651 to Dart Industries discloses a storage container with a pair of vents and plugs. The plugs can be opened or closed together or separately to allow the container to vent to atmosphere and to allow a user to control the amount of air flow. A bottom of the storage container is also provided with bumps to create and troughs beneath produce stored in the container.
Vented lids for storage containers are also known in the art. Most of these types of lids are provided for use during microwave usage. The vent is typically provided in the top panel of the lid for allowing steam to escape the container. Providing the vent in the top of the lid may allow spilled food or liquid items to enter the storage container unintentionally, even with the lid on the container. Often times, storage containers are used to store food items within a refrigerator employing wire shelving. Other times, such storage containers are stacked one on the other during use. In either situation, the likelihood of spillage entering the vent on top of one of the containers is relatively high.
Although produce storage containers attempt to address longevity and freshness concerns, these types of storage containers typically are not provided with efficient organizational characteristics for storing one or more of the containers and lids when not being used. However, storage and organization of non-produce and other such containers is an issue that others in the art have also attempted to address. Conventional food storage containers are commonly comprised of generally or substantially rigid or flexible, resilient plastic components. Plastic containers of this type generally have a base and a lid that attaches to the top of the base to seal the container. The base typically has a bottom and a side wall that together define an interior storage space in the container. The lid can be attached to the base to cover the open top and to seal the storage space.
Each container typically includes a corresponding lid sized to fit its associated container. A user will often store empty containers in a kitchen cabinet or pantry area when not in use. When not being used, the lids can easily become separated from their associated container bases. Users have expressed frustration over lost or misplaced lids and the difficulty in finding the correct lid for a selected container.
Some known container systems include lids that attach to the bottom of their respective container bases to help manage the containers and lids by keeping the lids and their corresponding containers together. Such lids, when attached to the base bottoms, often hinder space efficient stacking and storage of multiple containers.
During normal use, a container base is also typically filled with food items and covered with the lid. Users sometimes stack full containers for refrigerator storage or for transport to a location outside the home. However, the stacked containers tend to be unstable and can slide off of each other and spill. This makes it difficult to keep the containers organized in refrigerated storage and difficult to transport. A known storage container system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,886,694, commonly assigned to the assignee of the present patent, employs a lid and base configuration whereby a base can rest on the lid of another container and register with the lid. However, the lid of the underlying base does not connect or attach to the base of the overlying container.
Another example of a prior art container system is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,617 and includes a plurality of containers and a plurality of lids that can attach to one another in a variety of ways. Each lid includes opposed male and female fasteners centrally located with one fastener on each side of the lid. The lids are connectable as a stack by interconnecting adjacent male and female fasteners of adjacent lids. Additionally, a stack of lids can be attached to a stack of nested containers. Each container includes a female fastener, identical to the female fastener on the lids, located on its bottom surface. The stacked lids can be attached to the nested containers by snapping an exposed one of the aforementioned male lid fasteners to an exposed female fastener of the bottom of an exposed container. When full and in use, these containers could be stacked upon one another, but the stack would not be stable because of the small size and configuration of the male and female connectors on the bases and lids.
Still another prior art container system is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,832 and includes a plurality of containers and lids. The inner surface of each lid is contoured either to snap-fit over the open top or onto the bottom of its respective container. The different sized containers can be stacked in a nested configuration, one inside the other, while the lids remain attached to the bottom of the corresponding container. The lids can not be stacked together and the containers when full and in use can not be stacked on top of one another in a stable arrangement.
Yet another prior art container system is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,128 and includes stackable containers with lids. The containers have a first threaded segment on an outer surface near the open top adapted to engage with a first threaded segment on an inner surface of the lids so that the lids close off the open top of the container. Additionally, each lid includes a stepped portion of its top. The stepped portion includes a second threaded segment sized and shaped to mate with a second threaded segment formed within a lower rim of the container so that the lids can thread to the bottom of adjacent containers when stacked. A stable stack can be created, but the lids can not attach to one another for storage and the threaded connection method can be somewhat difficult to use, particularly with full containers.